Huygens' headache

Abstract

Background

Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He became well-known as inventor of the pendulum clock and described light as a wave phenomenon. He became Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and member of the Académie des Sciences (Paris). From the correspondence with family members and famous scientists, we learn that he suffered from frequent headaches.

Aim

To study Huygens' 22-volume Oeuvres Complètes (1888–1950) to find letters in which his headaches are mentioned and translate pertinent sections into English.

Conclusions

Although a posthumous diagnosis of Huygens' headaches is somewhat hazardous, the recurrent episodes with incapacitating headache and family history over two generations are suggestive for migraine. It becomes clear that it impeded his writing, reading, and research. From the letters we get an impression of the impact of the headache upon his life and the treatments that were applied in the 17th century.

Introduction

During a visit to a museum, Hofwijck castle, in Voorburg, near The Hague (Netherlands; Figure 1), I learned that one of its inhabitants, Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695; Figure 2) suffered from headaches, by which he was often unable to work. The castle had been the country house of the Huygens family, who lived in The Hague. Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687) was a diplomat and poet. He had been secretary to the princes of Orange. Of his five children, Christiaan was the most talented. He became famous as a mathematician, physicist (considered a founder of mathematic physics) and astronomer, who corresponded with and became Fellow (1663) of the Royal Society (London) as well as member (1666) de l'Académie des Sciences (Paris). He invented the pendulum clock (1) and described light as a wave phenomenon (2); moreover, he discovered the moon Titan of Saturnus (1655). His correspondence and work was published in a 22 volume Oeuvres Complètes (OC 1888–1950), which is mainly written in (old) French, but also includes letters in Latin, German, English and Italian. In this paper, I will study what Christiaan Huygens wrote about his headaches and how it interfered with his research. For this purpose, the OC was consulted and searched digitally. Pertinent French texts were translated into English.

Figure 1.

Hofwijck Castle, Voorburg, Netherlands (courtesy Huygensmuseum Hofwijck).

Figure 2.

Portrait of Christiaan Huygens, 1629–1695, painted by Caspar Netscher in 1671 (courtesy Historical Museum of The Hague, The Netherlands).

Headache and work

At the age of 23, in 1652, Christiaan Huygens wrote about his headaches for the first time in a letter to Frans van Schooten Junior, who was Professor of Mathematics at the University of Leyden. ‘Vexat me nimirum capitis dolor, non continuus quidem, sed tum maximè importune adveniens…' (3); due to headache that was not continuously present, but occured at the most inconvenient moments, he was often unable to work, unless he was able to overcome the pain by willpower. In April of 1662, he wrote to his brother Lodewijk that he suffered from headache and that he had had himself purged and bled as advised by his physician. He was unable to read, write or meditate, as these activities immediately resulted in headache.

Depuis ma dernière [lettre] j'ay pris avis de nostre Esculape Libergen, qui m'a fait purger et saigner, ce qu'estant fait je suis devenu si fort enrhumé que jamais de ma vie je ne le sus tant, tellement qu'il ne faut pas seulement que je garde la maison, mais aussi que jem'abstiene de lire, escrire ou méditer, par ce qu'aussitost la teste m'en fait mal. Mon frère [Constantijn] depuis 3 jours n'est guère mieux que moy … (4)

[Since my latest (letter) I have taken advice of our medic Libergen (physician in The Hague, later in Amsterdam), who had me purged and bled, having done that, I had a nasty cold as I have never known to have had, in such a way that I not only have to stay at home, but also have to abstain from reading, writing, or meditating, because as soon as I do I have a headache. My brother (Constantijn) is no better than me for 3 days].

He had to apologize regularly for his behaviour due to headache, for instance, in a letter from June 1666 to his cousin (Philip Doublet, husband of his sister Susanna). He had recently moved to Paris, where he became a member of the new Académie Royale des Sciences and was paid by and served King Louis XIV. Due to a headache, he had been unable to write to his cousin, although he usually is punctual in this respect.

En escrivant a ma sœur la semaine passee je la priay de vous faire mes excuses tant pour le passè que de ce que je ne pouvois pas encore alors vous faire response.

J'espere que vous n'aurez point eu de peine a me pardonner et d'autant moins que vous connoissez tres bien ma diligence et ponctualitè ordinaire en matière de lettres. J'eus encore des restes de mon mal de teste (5).

[While writing to my sister last week, I begged her to excuse me to you for the past as well as for the present as I am still unable to answer you. I hope you haven't bothered to pardon me and in particular because you know my diligence and punctuality with regard to letters. I still have remnants of my headache].

A few months later (November, 1666) he wrote to the same cousin:

Je n'aurois pas estè si longtemps sans vous faire response si je n'avois trouuè que l'escrire me faisoit mal à la teste. Je fus fort aise d'apprendre de vous mesme l'amandement de votre santè dont Mon Père depuis m'a mandé l'entier restablissement. J'espere que bientost j'en apprendray autant de celle de ma soeur, que je plains de tout mon coeur d'avoir souffert si longtemps (6). (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3.

Letter from Christiaan to his cousin Doublet (6).

[It would not have taken so long without responding to you if I had not experienced writing to cause headache. I was very pleased to learn from you about the improvement of your health, of which my father since has told me including the complete recovery. I hope soon to learn the same about that of my sister, whom I pity with whole my heart to have suffered so long].

His father Constantijn called his son ‘mon Archimède’, in imitation of the French philosopher and mathematician Marin Mersenne (1588–1648), with whom Constantijn as well as Christiaan corresponded. The same Mersenne had influenced and encouraged Christiaan to continue his mathematical studies. In 1677, Constantijn wrote: ‘Mon Archimède est assez bien remis de ses maux, quoy que tousjours foiblet et sujet à des douleurs de teste’ [My Archimedes has recovered well enough from his ailment, although always frail and subject to headaches] (7). His brother Constantijn, oldest son of Constantijn Sr., mentioned it in 1678, ‘Mon frère avoit un grand mal de teste’ (8). [My brother has a severe headache]. Even at age 56 Christiaan is still suffering. In April he wrote: ‘J'ay escrit une partie des mémoires que vous scavez et les aurois achevé sans des maux de teste qui depuis le jour de Pasques m'ont incommodé, et pour lesquels encore aujourdhuy je ne suis point sorti’ (9). [I have written a part of the memoirs, as you know and would have completed it without headaches that, since Easter day, have annoyed me and by which, still today, I did not go outside]. In October of that year he wrote again to his brother Constantijn that: ‘Depuis 3 jours il fait tousjours brouillard icy ce qui me donne des migraines tres incommodes’ (10). [For 3 days there is a constant fog here that gives me very annoying migraines]. And half a year later (March 1686), he wrote to the same brother that next to an inguinal hernia, he was still suffering from headaches: ‘Cependant j'en ay bien du chagrin comme vous pouvez croire, outre que d'ailleurs j'ay estè tourmenté tous ces jours de mes migraines, qui commencent maintenant a me quiter’ (11). [Meanwhile I am suffering as you may believe, in addition I have been tormented all the time by my migraines, which are now starting to leave me].

International witnesses

Christiaan corresponded with many famous persons of the period and headache was sometimes a subject, like in the correspondence with the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried W. Leibniz (1646–1716), with whom he wrote on the mathematization of physics and on whom he had an important influence.

Je vous suis fort obligé de ce que vous temoignez de prendre interest à ma santé, qui depuis ma derniere a encore beaucoup souffert de la migraine pendant cette longue gelée (March, 1692) (12).

[I am very obliged for showing interest in my health, that since my last [letter] has suffered much from migraine during that long freeze].

The French poet and critic Jean Chapelain (1595–1674), who also corresponded with Constantijn Sr., wrote to Christiaan (January, 1664); ‘Je me resjouis au moins du soulagement que vous ressentés de vostre mal de teste’ (13). [I am glad at least about the relief that you experienced with regard to your headache].

In November 1664, Christiaan wrote to the natural philosopher Sir Robert Moray (1608–1673), one of the founding members of the Royal Society,

N'ayant pu vous faire responce par l'ordinaire passè il ne faut pas que je laisse encore partir cettui cy sans m'acquitcr de ce devoir quoy qu'un fascheux mal de teste qui m'a duré tout ce jour me donne plustost envie de ne rien faire (14).

[Not having been able to respond in the usual way I should not let leave the mail another time without acquitting myself of this duty despite an annoying headache that lasted this whole day and brings me in a mood of rather doing nothing.

Moray responded to Christiaan (December, 1664):

Toutes vos lettres m'obligent beaucoup. Mais vostre dernière du 21 l'emporte pardessus toutes les précédentes. M'escrire une longue lettre, pleine de belles choses, lors qu'un mal de teste vous solicitoit de n'en rien faire, mérite bien d'estre estimé une marque tres particuliere d'une affection peu commune, il est donc bien raisonable que J'y fasse une responce prompte et satisfactoire autant que Je le puis (15).

[All your letters oblige me very much. However, your latest of the 21st does so even more than all previous ones. Writing me a long letter, full of nice things, while a headache tempts you not to do anything, well deserves to be estimated as a very special sign of extraordinary affection, it is therefore quite reasonable that I write a prompt and, as much as I can, satisfactory response].

Hereditary headache?

There are some indications that the headache Christiaan was suffering from may have been hereditary. His sister Susanna (1637–1725) wrote about her migraine in 1680:

C'est a mon grand regret mon cher Frere que j'apprens par la Lettre de Juffrouw La Court que vous ettiez un peu incommodé de Douleur ou des chaleurs dans la Teste, mais comme Elle me dit qu'autrement vous vous portiez bien J'espere d'apprendre bien tost, que vous ne vous plaignez plus de rien. J'aij bien ma part quelque fois de la migraine et je plains plus que Personne ceux qui souffrent des Pareilles incommoditez (16).

[It is to my great regret, my dear brother, that I learn by letter from Miss La Court that you have been uncomfortable with pain and heat in the head, but, as she tells me, you are well otherwise. I hope to learn soon that you will not complain anymore. I certainly have my share of migraine sometimes and I complain more than anybody of those who suffer similar discomforts].

Probably the affliction was inherited from their mother, as Suzanna van Baerle (1599–1637) suffered from migraine and menstruation troubles, for which she followed a diet and was prescribed purging as well as bloodletting (17).

Treatment

For the treatment of his headache, Christiaan drank tea and apparently was satisfied with it.

S'il y avoit moyen de m'envoyer avec ces horologes une livre ou demie de bon Te, vous me feriez grand plaisir, parce que depuis quelques semaines je m'en suis trouvé admirablement bien a prendre simplement les feuilles dans la bouche, lors que je me sens incommodé du mal de teste, car cela m'en guérit sans faute (18). (Christiaan from Paris to his brother Constantijn, 1663).

[If there is a way to send me, with the watches, a pound or a half of the good tea, you would do me a great pleasure, as, for some weeks, I have felt myself admirably well only by taking the leaves in the mouth, as soon as I feel myself indisposed by headache, because that cures me without fail].

Furthermore, water cures, usual at the time (19), were attempted. In August 1654, he stayed in Spa (a well-known place with healing cold springs in Belgium since the 14th century, which has become an eponym), where his father was staying and where he took water a couple of times (20). In one of the poems written for Mdm M de Mérode during a stay, Christiaan's father Constantijn noted (1654):

Trouvez vous pas quelque migraine

Qui vous eschauffe le cerveau?

Si ma conjecture n'est vaine

Il vous reste tant soit peu d'eau (21)

[Don't you feel any migraine

That sets your head on fire?

If my diagnosis is right

Water is the only cure to save you]

Father Constantijn probably used the water more often than his son Christiaan, who did not expect much of it (p. 41) (21). A few years later, Christiaan noted in his diary (25 February 1661): ‘Mal de teste, pris un lavement’ [Headache, took a clyster] (22).

Conclusion

Christiaan Huygens' headaches were often a subject in his letters and diary. The recurrent episodes, some apparently incapacitating, and familial occurrence in two generations suggest migraine, although, considering the duration and provoking factors, they might also fit a diagnosis of tension type headache. Christiaan went through at least two periods of ‘melancholia hypochondrica' (1670 and 1676), which is known to be associated with migraine as well as with tension type headache, assuming we would diagnose it as depression today. Current treatments of the period included purging, bleeding, enemas, drinking tea and taking water cures. Many of his family members and international correspondents were aware of his ailment, which impeded his writing, reading and research.